


mine for the summer

by sond_sie



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Explicit Sexual Content, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Sex Tapes, Smut, Summer Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-09-11 02:23:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8950072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sond_sie/pseuds/sond_sie
Summary: “tyler observed in mild horror as the stranger turned and looked right at him. his rhythm faltered and time seemed to slow down and tyler watched, eyes wide, as the guy tripped and crashed into the sand.”tyler joseph did /not/ expect to become fascinated with some guy while on holiday in florida. and he certainly didn’t expect to fall in love with him, or for the gorgeous drummer to love him back. simply, josh is tyler’s summer love.





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> this is something new for me!! never thought i'd be writing a multi-chap fic but here we are :)

tyler was faced with another sleepless night.

intrusive thoughts had been swirling around in his head for hours and it was causing him unnecessary stress that he’d come to florida to avoid. he sighed, lifting the sheet he was under and rising from his hotel bed. the place he was staying at was a lot nicer than any hotel he’d stayed in before, thanks to the rising popularity of his band and the money it had created. he made his way out onto the balcony and settled into one of the large comfy chairs, facing the beach that was only about 50 metres away. the sun had already begun to rise, light yellow and orange hues sparkling and complimenting the deep blue of the ocean. tyler relished in the serenity of the moment; he loved the beach and the summertime, but he hadn’t found the time to really enjoy it for years due to the demands of his music and his bandmates, chris and nick. they’d been working extremely hard in the hopes of finally being signed to a label, something they still hadn’t achieved.

tyler’s attention was suddenly drawn to a figure jogging along the beach. from his spot on the balcony tyler could outline a fairly muscular build and tattoos covering one of the guy’s arms, but what really caught his eye was his hair. with only the first light of day to go by it seemed to be a rich dark red and tyler found himself wanting to inspect it more closely. his tired eyes followed the man for a few minutes as he jogged away and out of view, and he sighed inwardly at the thought that he would never see the attractive guy again. tyler wouldn’t mind meeting some new people during his holiday, and a little fun couldn’t hurt right? he shook himself from his daydream and dragged himself back inside to flop on the bed, trying his best to get a few hours of sleep.

the next morning, tyler found himself back on his balcony watching the sunrise. he tried to ignore the rising hope that the mysterious red-haired jogger would return and sipped on his coffee quietly. about ten minutes later and to tyler’s total amazement, a familiar figure made their way steadily along the beach, running by the water’s edge. tyler straightened and peered at the man curiously. he looked just as good as he did yesterday, leg muscles rippling and hair flopping over his forehead. tyler could feel himself becoming more interested the more he stared, and promptly went back inside to have a shower. a cold one.

he couldn’t quite understand it, but something was urging him to somehow meet the guy he’d secretly admired from his hotel. on the third morning he actually set an alarm for 5.45am. when he heard the incessant beeping he groaned, fumbling for his phone and regretting all of his life choices up until that moment.

he struggled out of the bed and threw on some shorts, a t-shirt and his vans before heading down to the ground floor to leave. he wasn’t really sure of his game-plan, had only thought far enough to be on the actual beach when the guy passed on his morning run. tyler didn’t even know if he would be back again.

he settled himself down on the beach, enjoying the crisp morning air as he ran the sand through his fingers. he watched as the sun began to peek through the clouds across the horizon, getting lost in his own thoughts as usual. he leaned back on his arms, legs stretching out - when he saw him. and oh boy, he had decided to run shirtless today. tyler’s mouth went dry as he panicked. he couldn’t just confront the guy out of nowhere, he thought, it’d make him look _insane_. tyler observed in mild horror as the stranger turned and looked right at him. his rhythm faltered and time seemed to slow down and tyler watched, eyes wide, as the guy tripped and crashed into the sand. he landed with an ‘oof!’ and then rolled onto his back. tyler startled into action, jumping up and rushing to the man’s side. he stood over him awkwardly before reaching out a hand to drag him up off the sand.

“woah, dude are you alright?” tyler cringed at himself, the guy had just fallen and he was rubbing at a wrist tenderly, he was probably _not_ alright.

“um, i think so. thanks,” tyler’s mystery man looked up and flashed him a brief smile. tyler’s heart skipped a beat because wow, deciding to wake up at an ungodly hour to meet someone he’d seen from a distance twice was the best idea _ever._ the guy was downright gorgeous, bright smile and slightly crinkly eyes. and the nose ring, god. tyler had somehow stumbled upon an actual angel. he shook himself out of his reverie and smiled back.

“i’m tyler. did it hurt when you fell?” tyler’s eyes widened and he refrained from actually slapping himself in the face. that sounded too much like the worst pick-up line ever and he tried not to die of embarrassment when he looked back at the guy, who was now blushing.

“smooth,” he giggled, and tyler struggled to breathe as he found that this guy was not only gorgeous, but adorable. “i think i’ve actually sprained my wrist though,” he frowned, looking down at the wrist at the end of his sleeve of colourful tattoos. tyler reached out and picked it up gently, having dealt with several sprained limbs due to his stage antics. he pressed down on the flesh softly and the injured man hissed, pulling his hand from tyler’s grasp. he was starting to look quite distressed about the state of his wrist.

“you should probably put some ice on that pretty quickly. i have some packs at my hotel,” tyler offered, trying not to sound creepy. he was met with a relieved sigh.

“that sounds great. i kind of need my wrist tonight. my name’s josh by the way,” he replied and tyler attempted to keep his thoughts out of the gutter as to _why_ josh needed his wrist and started walking back to the hotel, josh falling into step beside him. tyler avidly tried to ignore the fact that josh was shirtless, sweat and sand still sticking to his quite prominent abs. it’d been a while since he’d been in close proximity with anyone he found attractive, let alone a tattooed and bright red-haired shirtless guy who kept smiling at him as if the very warmth of the sun came from inside him. they reached the hotel and tyler led them up to his room. he went to the freezer and pulled out one of the ice packs he took everywhere he travelled in case of emergency. he never thought said emergency would involve an unfairly sexy punk-looking guy sitting at his kitchen bench, but hey. tyler had no complaints. he handed it to josh who curled it around his sore wrist.

“thanks heaps. hopefully the swelling will go down before i play tonight,” josh said.

“play?” tyler questioned, intrigued.

“oh right yeah, i play the drums. i came out here to florida looking for someone to play with and finally someone responded. tonight’s my first gig.” tyler looked impressed and sat across from his new acquaintance.

“so you’re into music?” tyler couldn’t believe his luck. josh literally ticked all of his boxes.

“yeah, dude. it sounds kind of sad but it’s my whole life. music has really helped me through some stuff, y’know?”

“totally! i actually play in a band with two other guys but we just finished our first tour.” josh stared at tyler, awestruck.

“you tour?” josh asked. tyler grinned, bashful. he still couldn’t believe it himself that enough people around the whole of america wanted to hear his music. granted, it was only just a hundred or so people that came to the gigs, but it meant a lot to tyler.

“yeah. i think we could really make it someday.”

“i’ll have to come see you one time,” josh admitted, and then panicked, thinking he was coming on too strong. but he didn’t need to worry as tyler responded enthusiastically.

“that’d be sick! same goes for you, actually…” he trailed off, thinking. this would be the perfect opportunity for him to meet up with josh again. _go for it,_ he thought. “can i come to your gig tonight?” he asked, voice nervous.

josh blinked. nobody ever wanted to come to a show just to see _him._ he was the drummer! he sent tyler one of his huge smiles that made his eyes squint. “yeah man! i should actually get going so i can make rehearsal.” he stood up from the bench, holding the ice pack out to tyler.

“you keep it,” tyler waved his hand away. “can i get your number? f-for the details tonight,” he stuttered as josh’s eyes glinted interestedly.

“yeah, of course,” he replied and his voice contained something heavier than it did a moment ago. tyler handed him his phone. josh quickly tapped his number and name in and returned it. “i better go, thanks again tyler.” he winked before he turned and left, shutting the door quietly behind him before tyler could respond. tyler looked at the phone in his hands, josh’s contact details staring at him. he laughed at the name and thought that this summer might turn out to be the best one yet.

“you too, spooky jim,” he said to the silence of his hotel room. 


	2. chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> merry christmas friends! im pumped

the day passed excruciatingly slowly for tyler, and a tense nervousness buzzed in his stomach while he went about his day.

around midday tyler gathered his journal in one hand and head out of his room to have lunch. he’d found a quaint little café tucked in between a tattoo parlour and some antiques shop within walking distance of his hotel in the first few days of his holiday. he smiled warmly at the waitress behind the counter as the bell chimed in the doorway. he ordered an iced coffee and a sandwich and made his way to a table he’d quickly claimed as his own on his first visit. it was a booth near the back that was more secluded from other people.

tyler liked to get out and write in different places because it kept him entertained and sometimes influenced his mood. today, however, tyler was finding it hard to think of anything other than _josh._ he’d never had this kind of fascination with a person before, and now that he’d actually met the guy and talked to him he found that he wanted _more._ and he was actually going to get it, he thought, as he smiled at the text from josh (or spooky jim) that gave him the details of his gig tonight. it started at 6pm, so tyler had 5 hours to kill before then. he returned to staring at his journal, hoping for inspiration to hit. he had a few ideas about a ukulele melody that had been slowly developing since he arrived and began writing them down.

when tyler glanced back at the clock after scrawling out almost a complete melody for a song he was surprised to find it was 5.27pm.

“crap,” tyler muttered as he stood from the booth. he suddenly realised that there were no other patrons in the café and the waitress that greeted him earlier was taking off her apron. she looked over to tyler and smiled.

“i was just about to tell you we closed half an hour ago, but i didn’t wan’t to disturb you,” she laughed at tyler’s shocked expression. he opened his mouth to apologise but she continued. “it’s fine honey, it always takes us time to clean up. hope to see you again soon,” she opened the door for the blushing boy and followed him out, locking it behind her.

“thanks,” he replied sheepishly before setting off back to his hotel. he jogged the distance, not wanting to be late for josh’s gig. after a brief crisis over what to wear tyler called an uber and told them the address.

josh was kind of freaking out while he set up his drum kit. tyler hadn’t replied to his texts for hours and he was worried he’d done something wrong. maybe he’d just imagined the way tyler seemed to stare at his lips for a bit too long, or how interested he was in josh’s drumming, and he wasn’t actually going to come and see him. maybe he really didn’t care.

josh felt like an idiot. he never gave out his number to strangers, particularly to men he’d stupidly fallen over in front of. speaking of which, his wrist still ached, but he couldn’t let it get in the way of this show, no matter how small it was. josh looked up from his place behind the drums as the singer, jace, began to introduce them. there were a few people milling about, probably about 30 in the whole bar. some of them paid them attention, but josh was only searching for one person. who wasn’t there. he sighed, and returned his focus to the song that was about to start. like always, josh put all of his emotion into his playing. he loved the way that he could forget about his problems and just lose himself in the music. and forget about cute boys with deep brown eyes and strange tattoos covering tanned skin. one in particular - who walked in the door just as the first song finished.

tyler immediately met josh’s eyes from across the room, and he was greeted with another one of his adorable crinkly-eyed grins. josh’s shoulders seemed to relax as he sat back on his stool, waiting for his cue to start the next song. tyler took a seat at the bar closest to the band and turned to face them.

josh tapped his drumsticks together before beginning the next song with a smile on his face. tyler took in the other band members for a moment, and found that josh was really the only interesting person to watch. with his wild red hair and the splash of colour running down his arm, josh brought the attention of those around towards him. tyler found his gaze glued to the other boy. josh was lost in the beat he was creating, and he oozed confidence, something that tyler didn’t expect.

from their first meeting tyler had found josh to be nowhere near as intimidating as he looked. he was soft-spoken, all smiles and warmth. but as tyler watched him drum, he met the other side of josh. despite the band not being that great, he still put everything he had into playing, and tyler got the first glimpse of the passion josh had for music. tyler could see josh loved it almost as much as tyler himself did, which made him even more attractive. tyler was enamoured, and didn’t tear his eyes from josh until he realised they had finished their small set.

as josh rose from the stool behind his drum kit and started towards tyler, the singer tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach.


	3. chapter three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here is some filth! i hope it makes up for the fact i cant update for a couple weeks as i'm going on holiday :))

“hey there,” tyler greeted as josh sat down on the barstool next to his. josh’s tank top was sticking to his damp skin, but he was glowing with happiness. this was something tyler could relate to, the rush of energy but peace felt after performing. it was cathartic, in a way.

“hey yourself,” josh replied and turned to face tyler after quickly ordering a soda. they smiled at each other for a few moments before josh opened his mouth to speak. he hastily closed it again and looked away, smile faltering.

“what?” tyler questioned. josh glanced back again, looking slightly uncomfortable.

“it’s nothing i just - i thought you weren’t gonna come,” josh admitted quietly, embarrassed. tyler jolted as he looked at the older boy in shock. with his eyes downcast josh continued, “i know it’s stupid-“

“no!” tyler burst out. a few people sent him strange looks but he recovered. “no, josh, the uber driver got lost on the way out. i’m so sorry you thought i wasn’t coming,” tyler reached out a hand and placed it under josh’s chin, gently tilting his face up until he could see josh properly. he still looked embarrassed, and blushed even harder when tyler stroked his thumb softly over his cheek before returning it to his side.

“well, i’m glad you did. what’d you think?” josh asked nervously, all traces of his confident drumming persona gone. tyler suddenly realised he hadn’t even had the chance to tell josh how incredible he was yet.

“dude, you’re amazing. the band as a whole isn’t great,” he whispered, “but your drumming is sick! to be honest i couldn’t keep my eyes off you,” tyler added, blushing himself.

“really?” josh blinked at him, warm brown eyes twinkling.

“yeah! i wish you were in my band,” tyler laughed. josh giggled too, and tyler found his eyes drawn to the drummer’s tongue that poked out between his pearly white teeth. josh noticed, and shifted his eyes to tyler’s intently. he hadn’t flirted with heaps of people in his life, but he thought he was getting pretty obvious signs from tyler. and he was right, as tyler moved a hand over to rest on his thigh. josh’s mouth was dry despite having just finished his drink, and he stared at tyler as he leaned closer.

“do you wanna get out of here?” tyler whispered into his ear and josh shivered before nodding and slipping off the stool. tyler lead him out of the bar with a hand pressed firmly to his lower back. jace flashed josh an amused look as they passed him. together they walked outside and the breeze cooled josh’s heated skin. tyler withdrew his arm to call a taxi.

the car ride to tyler’s hotel was spent in tense anticipation, tyler’s hand burning a hole through josh’s skinny jeans where it sat on his thigh. as they neared closer to the hotel tyler’s hand crept towards josh’s crotch, and his rapidly growing bulge. josh’s hooded eyes met tyler’s intense ones as they rounded the final corner and tyler palmed josh’s erection swiftly as they pulled up outside the hotel. tyler hastily paid the driver and hopped out, grabbing josh’s hand and dragging him inside. as soon as the elevator doors closed tyler surged forward, pushed josh against the wall, and pressed his lips against the older boy’s. josh moaned, parting his lips and pulling tyler closer, their hips pressing together. tyler swiped his tongue over josh’s own and deepened the kiss.

the sharp ‘ding!’ from the elevator eventually pulled them apart.

to their horror an elderly couple were waiting by the door and they shuffled by quickly, avoiding their judgemental stares. tyler fumbled with the key to his room before finally, _finally_ making it inside and getting josh alone. he turned and pushed josh against the door, once again pinning him with his body. he attached his lips to the drummer’s neck and nipped at his skin, determined to leave bruises. josh moaned and pushed his hips forward, seeking friction. tyler shifted a thigh between josh’s legs as he moved his lips downwards and sucked on josh’s collarbone. tyler tugged on josh’s tank top before lifting it over his head.

“this is okay, right?” tyler asked.

“ _god,_ yes,” josh huffed out, rutting his hips into tyler’s thigh. tyler kissed him again, swallowing josh’s desperate whines. he stoked a hand down josh’s chest and stomach until he hit his waistband. he pulled away from the kiss to scan josh’s features for any sign of discomfort. he found josh’s eyes half-lidded and lips as red as his hair, open and begging for more. he surged forward again, reattaching their lips heatedly and pushed his hand under josh’s boxers, taking his hard length in his hand. josh moaned, hips bucking forwards into tyler’s fist. he shucked his jeans and underwear off, and leaned heavily back onto the door as tyler trailed his lips down his neck again. one of tyler’s hands pushed under his thigh, and he wrapped his legs around tyler’s waist, who was still fully clothed. tyler reached for josh’s cock again, holding it in a loose fist. josh’s head thumped back into the door.

“tyler. i’m not gonna last,” he groaned. tyler removed his hand from the crimson-haired boy’s erection and moved it further back, stroking lightly over his entrance. josh whined loudly and pressed into tyler’s hand.

“is this what you want, baby?” tyler murmured into josh’s ear, still stroking over josh’s entrance.

“yes, please tyler-“ josh moaned and tyler relented, holding josh up and moving towards the large bed. he crawled on top of him and pinned his hands above his head, careful not to squeeze his injured wrist as he licked into his mouth. when he pulled away josh gasped.

“take your clothes off,” josh breathed as he writhed under tyler’s grip. the younger boy sat up and pulled off his t-shirt. josh’s newly freed hands roamed over the tanned skin, eventually resting on tyler’s hips and tugging at his shorts. tyler moved away to tear off his shorts and boxers before returning to press josh into the mattress. their erections rubbed together, causing both of them to cry out in pleasure. tyler reached over into the nightstand and pulled out his travel-size bottle of lube. he spilled some onto his fingers, using his other hand to push josh’s leg towards his chest. tyler moved his hand down and resumed stroking over josh’s hole, this time lightly dipping his index finger in.

“more,” josh demanded and pressed down on tyler’s hand. tyler complied, opening josh up with his fingers and latching his mouth to the drummer’s neck. he scissored two fingers inside josh as he sucked a deep bruise into his skin, causing him to moan loudly. as his fingers brushed josh’s prostate the older boy whined and pulled him off his neck.

“i’m ready tyler, please,” he moaned, and tyler moved to grab a condom from the nightstand. he ripped it open and rolled it on quickly.

“roll over,” tyler said and tapped at josh’s hip, pushing him onto his stomach. josh kneeled on the bed with his hips in the air, face pressing into a pillow. tyler stroked himself a couple times, spreading more lube along his length. he slowly pushed the tip of his cock into josh, who was moaning loudly beneath him. with one hand tyler gripped josh’s hip tightly, the other guiding him steadily inside the drummer.

“oh, _fuck,_ “ josh cried out as tyler finally bottomed out. after a moment he rocked his hips back into tyler’s, urging him to move. tyler picked up a fast pace, thrusting in and out of josh forcefully. the room was filled with the sounds of their skin slapping together, mixed with josh’s shouts. the heavy summer air surrounded them, and the sun was setting, casting a hazy atmosphere over the two. tyler leaned over josh’s back, sweat forming on his forehead and making his hair stick to the damp skin. he sucked and bit at the back of josh’s neck, causing the freckles there to be covered by purple bruises.

“harder,” josh choked out, looking back over his shoulder at tyler as he sat up. tyler felt a wave of arousal go straight to his already rock hard cock as he took in josh’s state. the drummer was flushed and panting, and he looked heavenly as he squeezed his eyes shut and clenched around tyler’s cock. the fading light reminded tyler of the first time he saw josh jogging across the beach, and he doubled his efforts, tightly grasping josh’s hips and pounding into him at a fast pace.

after a minute he suddenly pulled out and shifted josh until he was lying on his side. tyler moved behind him and pulled one of his legs up. he pushed back in all at once and resumed his thrusting. the new position caused tyler to hit josh’s prostate, who almost screamed as he saw stars. his head turned to face tyler, who crashed their mouths together, swallowing the steady stream of moans escaping from the older boy.

“c-close tyler,” josh panted as they pulled apart. tyler moved a hand to josh’s leaking cock and began to stroke it in time with his thrusts. josh’s head lolled back and he keened, trying to buck his hips into tyler’s fist and back onto his cock at the same time, the pleasure becoming too much.

“ _fuck_ you’re so good for me, come for me josh,” tyler moaned into his shoulder, his hips pumping erratically. josh moaned loudly as he came, white ribbons painting his torso and tyler’s hand. tyler kept thrusting and josh whined at the oversensitivity. he moved his hand up to josh’s mouth, who sucked his fingers in greedily and lapped up the come left on his hand. that did it for tyler, whose hips stuttered as he came inside josh, biting into his shoulder to stifle his groan. as he came down he pulled out of josh gingerly and rolled onto his back to catch his breath.

he got up and pulled off the condom, tying it and throwing it into the trash. he made his way to the bathroom to retrieve a wash cloth to clean himself and josh with. when he returned he found himself fighting the butterflies in his stomach once again. he gently wiped at josh’s stomach and thighs, and the drummer watched his movements sleepily. he dropped the cloth to the floor.

“can i stay?” josh asked softly. tyler looked down into his warm, tired eyes for a moment before leaning forwards and catching his lips in a sweet kiss. it had no traces of the previous passion, just a gentle pressure. he pulled away and settled behind josh, wrapping an arm protectively around his middle and tangling their legs together.

“of course,” he replied, and they drifted off to sleep.


	4. chapter four

ever since that night josh and tyler had pretty much become inseparable. they spent most nights at tyler’s hotel, exploring each other’s bodies and taking late-night trips to swim at the beach under the moonlight.

a week after they first met, tyler found himself being pushed up against the glass door that led to the balcony as josh fumbled with the button on his jeans. their mouths met, tongues battling for dominance. just as tyler tried to deepen the kiss josh pulled back and dropped to his knees. a dull thud resounded around the room as josh peered up at tyler through his lashes hungrily. tyler groaned and thread a hand through josh’s red locks, urging him on. josh pulled down tyler’s jeans and boxers to release his rapidly hardening cock, stroking it to full hardness. he quickly wrapped his lips around the tip as tyler moaned and thumped his head back onto the glass. from the outside if someone looked at his balcony, the outline of tyler’s body would pretty obviously suggest what was happening, and the thought sent another wave of arousal through the singer’s body as he pushed josh further down his length. josh licked at the underside of his cock, taking tyler deeper and relaxing his throat. he nosed at tyler’s abdomen, eyes watering as he hollowed his cheeks. tyler keened, fingers tightening in his hair. josh pulled off and gasped, trying to regain his breath.

“fuck my mouth,” josh panted, licking at tyler’s slit before sucking him down again. tyler moved his other hand into josh’s hair, feeling josh relax around him as he closed his eyes. tyler bucked his hips forward, the tip of his cock hitting the back of josh’s throat. he continued to thrust slowly into the older boy’s mouth, moaning at the sight of wet lips stretched wide around his cock. josh hummed, fingernails digging into tyler’s hip. tyler’s hips stuttered and he came without warning, shooting down josh’s throat as the drummer struggled to swallow it all. when he pulled off there was a trail of come left dribbling down his chin. tyler pulled him up and swiped his thumb over it, feeding it to josh who sucked the digit clean. tyler stumbled at the sight, his dick trying to stir back to hardness. josh desperately kissed tyler, opening his mouth up with his tongue and pressing him back into the door. josh grabbed one of tyler’s hands and shoved it onto the bulge in his jeans.

“please, tyler,” he moaned into the other boy’s mouth. tyler moved his lips to josh’s neck and pulled out his dick with one hand, stroking it roughly.

“come for me josh,” he whispered into his sweaty skin, twisting his wrist over the head. josh cried out as he spilled into tyler’s fist and slumped against him. he panted into tyler’s shoulder for a while before pulling his pants up and making his way over to the bed to flop on his back. tyler chuckled, tucking himself back into his jeans before heading to the bathroom to clean up. when he returned josh hadn’t moved, so he laid down next to him.

“what do you want to do today?” tyler asked, tilting his head to look at josh. most days consisted of the two of them exploring the city or going to the beach. one day they rented a bunch of movies and blasted the aircon in order to bundle up under tyler’s hotel blankets to watch them.

josh kept his eyes on the ceiling. “i was thinking-” he hesitated, fiddling with the hem of his tank top.

“what’s up?” tyler asked softly.

“do you wanna go on a date?” he rushed out. “with- with me,” josh added, finally turning to meet tyler’s eyes. the singer’s gaze softened and he reached a hand up to cup josh’s cheek.

“sounds perfect,” he murmured before kissing josh gently. josh grinned, which made tyler’s heart skip a beat as per usual. he had found himself becoming scarily attached to the drummer, who was able to make him feel happier than he’d been in a long time. josh jumped on him to press a chaste kiss to his lips before standing up.

“time for me to go then,” josh grinned down at tyler who sat up slowly.

“what? you just got here,” he replied, confused.

“it’s not a proper date if we hang out all day and then go to dinner. i need to come pick you up and stuff, you know how it goes,” josh continued to smile at tyler who looked slightly deflated at the news he now had to spend a whole day alone. josh leaned down to kiss tyler again. “don’t look so sad ty, i’ll come get you at 7.”

tyler sighed. “okay,” he murmured as josh straightened up. he left with a wink, much like the first time they had met.

true to his word, josh reappeared at tyler’s door right at 7pm. he looked much the same as he usually did, but he’d swapped the tank top out for a short-sleeved button up shirt. tufts of red hair peeked out from underneath his snapback. he pulled a small bouquet of yellow and red roses out from behind his back. he was blushing so hard he almost matched the flowers, and he held them towards tyler timidly.

“hey i hope these are alright, the lady at the shop thought you’d like them..” he trailed off, uncertain.

“i love them. thank you,” tyler replied. he took the flowers from josh and wrapped an arm around his waist to pull him in for a kiss. josh smiled into it, and it was short and sweet. tyler turned to put the flowers in the hotel vase before leaving the room with josh trailing behind him.

“so where are we going?” tyler asked playfully, smiling brightly at the red-haired boy. josh blushed again.

“it’s nothing too fancy, just a restaurant jace recommended,” josh replied. he twined his fingers with tyler’s as they stepped outside.

halfway through the meal josh was trying to recover from laughing too hard at one of tyler’s stories from tour. his eyes had squinted almost shut and his head was thrown back. tyler giggled at his reaction. as josh calmed down tyler looked at him fondly.

“thanks for taking me out j. this place is really nice,” he said. he reached across the table to grasp josh’s hand. the whole evening had been a lot more romantic than tyler had expected, but he wasn’t complaining. josh was quite possibly the most lovely person he’d ever met, and somehow he also liked tyler back.

“it’s my pleasure,” josh smiled, “you’re unlike anyone i’ve ever met.” josh’s thumb stroked over tyler’s hand. he continued, “i wish i didn’t have to go home.”

tyler froze. “go home? when?” he asked quickly, smile fading. josh looked down.

“i came here with the savings from my job in columbus but i knew it wouldn’t last forever. i can’t keep paying for accomodation here,” he admitted sadly.

“stay with me,” tyler replied immediately. josh’s eyebrows rose as he considered tyler’s offer.

“are you serious?”

“yeah, it makes no difference to me. i’m still booked in for another couple of weeks. i don’t want our fun to end quite yet,” he smirked at josh, who smiled back at him.

“that sounds great! if you’re sure,” he added quickly. tyler leaned across the table to press their lips together softly.

“i’m sure.”


	5. chapter five

tyler groaned as he rolled onto his stomach and gripped his head. he’d woken up with a headache. josh stirred next to him, arm retracting from where tyler had trapped it under his body. he squinted over at tyler, sensing that something wasn’t right.

“are you okay ty?” he whispered, voice rough when he first woke up.

“m’ head hurts,” tyler spoke into the pillow, words muffled. josh stood up and made his way to the bathroom. tyler blocked out the noise, and only re-emerged as josh gently turned him over and offered him aspirin. he swallowed the pills quickly. josh slid under the covers again and pulled tyler close, his head resting on the drummer’s chest. tyler traced the tree on josh’s arm until he felt drowsy again and drifted off to sleep, josh following soon after.

tyler woke up again around midday, but he was pleased to find that his headache had receded. he opened his eyes and found josh sitting up against the headboard next to him, earbuds in and drumming his fingers to a beat tyler couldn’t hear. tyler sat up to pull one out and put it to his own ear.

“whatcha listening to spooky?” tyler asked, referring to the nickname josh had given himself in his phone. the soft rhythm of transatlanticism played in his ear, and tyler recalled josh telling him it was his favourite song when they were curled up on the balcony one day. he leant his head on josh’s shoulder. he looked out across his balcony to the ocean and josh laced their hands together. as the song reached a crescendo josh’s fingers tightened, and tyler was surprised to find his eyes watery. josh blinked away the tears.

“man, that song makes me cry almost every time,” he chuckled softly. tyler kissed his shoulder. he understood how much music could resonate with someone all too well. josh shifted his attention to tyler.

“have you written much recently?” he wondered.

“uh, i have a couple of melodies developing. i can show you if you want?” tyler offered.

“that’d be sick,” josh smiled, and tyler hopped off the bed to retrieve his journal and ukulele. he settled cross-legged across from the drummer and flipped to the pages he’d scrawled on at the café the day he met josh.

“so, this ones my favourite. i’m pretty sure i have a whole song worked out on the ukulele, which is different from my usual piano. it’s probably because of the summer vibes,” tyler joked, but what he said had a lot of truth to it. the song was upbeat and bright, definitely influenced by his holiday. and by josh.

he picked up his ukulele and began to play. josh watched in awe as tyler strummed the small instrument. he also noticed that tyler mouthed words at some parts. without realising, josh began to match a drum beat to the melody as he tapped on his legs. tyler saw the movement and grinned briefly at the older boy. as he strummed the final chords josh clapped lightly.

“tyler that sounded amazing! do you have any lyrics?” he asked, knowing tyler had mouthed some.

“yeah, maybe. there’s a few things i’m into right now,” he teased, thinking to the hastily written lines in his journal about someone he wants to get to know _more,_ who makes him feel excited to live. he gently placed the ukulele and journal on the floor and crawled towards josh to settle in his lap. josh grabbed his hips and smiled up at him.

“about me?” he asked, and tyler only shrugged in response. he’d never actually written a song about anyone else before, and preferred to keep it somewhat secret for the time being.

“so i was thinking,” tyler changed the subject, tracing a finger down josh’s tattoo. “i still don’t think i’m ready to leave this holiday behind, so do you wanna stay with me an extra couple of weeks?” he fluttered his eyelashes at josh, who looked surprised. talk about a _dream come true._

“ _god yes,_ tyler. i never want to leave florida,” he replied.

“that’s what i was hoping,” tyler said as he closed the gap between their mouths. josh traced his tongue over tyler’s lips eagerly, who opened his mouth at the touch. still connecting their lips, josh pulled down tyler’s sweatpants and underwear and grabbed a handful of his ass with one hand.

“can we try something different?” he asked, pulling away from tyler slightly to look at him. tyler looked back at him questioningly, so josh moved his hand to ghost over tyler’s entrance. tyler surged forwards away from the touch, but a bead of precome spilled from his erection and onto his stomach. he peeked at josh, at his warm brown eyes that had come to mean safety and comfort, and he knew that he trusted this boy with his whole heart.

“y-yeah,” tyler whispered. josh went to flip them over but tyler stopped him with a hand on his bicep. “c-can i stay on top?” he asked hesitantly. josh’s eyes softened and he stroked down tyler’s side reassuringly.

“of course,” he said quietly. tyler pulled off his pants and t-shirt, which he thought might actually be josh’s. josh did the same underneath him, and soon their erections were rubbing together, causing them both to moan loudly at the friction. josh poured a generous amount of lube onto his hand and moved it behind tyler to rub over his entrance. tyler moaned again, hunched forward into josh’s shoulder. the drummer’s other hand was rubbing soothingly over tyler’s skin, and tyler panted hotly as he felt josh’s finger dip in. it’d been a long time since he’d bottomed for anyone, probably since high school when he first started experimenting with guys. he found then that he didn’t like the experience, but he had a feeling josh would be a lot better than some jock in the school’s gym after basketball practice.

josh moved one finger in tyler for a while, until he felt his muscles relax, and the grip on his bicep lessened. he pressed another finger in alongside the first and curled them, brushing over tyler’s prostate.

“holy _fuck,_ “ tyler shouted into josh’s shoulder, grinding down on his fingers. soon after josh added a third finger tyler pulled back and looked down at him, face flushed and eyes shining. “i’m ready, please,” he pleaded.

“okay, i’ve got you,” josh soothed as he pulled out his fingers. tyler whined at the loss and josh hastily tore a condom open and rolled it on. the air was hot, the sun blinding where it streamed in through the windows. they were both sweating, and tyler could feel as it dripped down his back and pooled just above his ass. it made their skin slide together smoothly, and tyler relished in the feeling. josh held his cock steady in one hand and tyler kneeled over it. he sunk down carefully, a long drawn-out moan streaming past his lips as he did so. josh watched as his eyes closed tightly, mouth forming the perfect ‘o’ shape as he took more of josh’s cock. josh exhaled harshly when tyler finally bottomed out, their hips pressing together.

“fuck, josh, move,” tyler groaned, raising his hips slightly before dropping back down. his eyes rolled back in his head at the feeling of being so full. josh held tyler’s hips so tightly that bruises would form in the shape of his fingertips, and he lifted the smaller boy up and thrust up slowly. tyler moaned loudly again, and a steady pace quickly developed.

tyler leaned back and gripped josh’s thighs with his hands, using the leverage to slam himself down harder on josh’s cock. it made josh groan, heat coiling in his stomach embarrassingly fast.

“ohhh, tyler i’m not gonna last much longer,” he choked out as tyler kept up his relentless pace. the younger boy was releasing a stream of ‘ah,ah, ah’ every time josh’s cock hit his prostate.

“me too, _fuck,_ “ he panted, leaning back up and setting his hands on josh’s shoulders. their mouths met messily as josh’s thrusts became erratic. tyler clenched around him and josh was gone, moaning into tyler’s mouth as he spilled into the condom inside of him. tyler kept bouncing, and swatted josh’s hand away when he reached for his leaking cock. so instead, he licked at one of tyler’s nipples as he ground up into him, and in a couple more thrusts tyler was wailing, shooting onto his and josh’s stomaches untouched. he collapsed forward as josh wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed his neck softly.

“that was amazing,” he huffed out a laugh and tyler smiled too, slowly pulling off his softening cock and lying down on the bed. josh threw the condom away and returned with a cloth to clean them up with. tyler felt his headache making it’s return and cast an arm over his eyes.

“is it okay if we stay in today?” he asked josh, who had flopped down next to him. josh hummed a ‘yes’ and cuddled in close, wrapping himself around tyler, who found himself once again thankful for the wonderful boy next to him. the boy who would take care of him in the middle of the night and gave him the best sex he’d ever had. the boy who also told him bad jokes.

“in sickness and in health, right?” josh laughed into his chest. 


	6. chapter six

“mmm, good morning,” tyler murmured into josh’s lips as he rolled on top of his lover and kissed him lightly.

he’d gotten used to waking up next to josh every day, with red hair tickling his neck and strong arms wrapped around him. he wasn’t ready to let it all go and return to la to record with his band, while josh went home to columbus. his bandmates had already become annoyed with him about extending his vacation, so the reality of the situation was nearing closer with each passing day. they only had three days left together in florida.

tyler tried to push the thoughts away as he sat up, josh blinking awake beneath him. tyler got up to get changed, but all of his clothes were strewn about the room amongst josh’s.

“oh man we seriously need to do some laundry,” he laughed, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. josh finally stumbled out of bed and made his way groggily to the kitchen in just his boxers.

“breakfast first!” he yelled back at tyler happily, who sighed and followed him out, barely registering the pleasant feeling that replaced his earlier butterflies whenever he was around the older boy.

an hour later the two boys had made it outside the hotel, carrying heavy duffel bags filled with dirty clothes. they set out for the nearest laundromat, which just so happened to be across from tyler’s café. they heaved their clothes into a machine and slotted some coins in to start it. they had an hour before it’d be done so they ventured across to the café. the light chime of the bell made tyler smile as he entered, the sound having become a comfort during his holiday. tyler ordered their drinks and the waitress grinned at the couple. she laughed at josh’s t-shirt - a pink one decorated with sparkly kittens. josh blushed and weakly defended that it was all he had left that was clean to wear.

“i think it suits you,” tyler joined in, also laughing. “matches your personality,” he said as he bumped their shoulders together.

they sat down at the usual booth. josh sipped at his milkshake, twining his ankles with tyler’s under the table. tyler smiled into his own iced chocolate. they sat in comfortable silence for a while, the only other sounds in the room being quiet chatter from a couple a few tables away. this was something else tyler always adored about josh, the way that he didn’t need to keep up constant conversation to keep things interesting. just being in each other’s presence was enough.

“what’re you thinking about?” josh asked softly, tapping the toe of his shoe against tyler’s ankle.

“you,” tyler replied. the warm feeling returned to tyler’s chest as he looked at the other boy, whose brown eyes were twinkling, always contrasting with the brightness of his hair. three words formed, ones that he’d been trying to suppress for days, weeks really. in the security of the café he thought maybe he really could admit his feelings. he took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“i-“

he got no further. the front of his t-shirt suddenly felt ice cold and tyler belatedly realised his hand was shaking and he’d spilled a good amount of his drink down his front. he gasped at the liquid on his stomach, pulling it away from his skin.

“oh crap,” josh muttered. he jumped up and grabbed a handful of napkins from the counter, bringing them back to tyler and offering them to the embarrassed boy.

“thanks,” tyler mumbled. josh looked down at him helplessly - until he got an idea.

“hey, wait right here. i’ll be like two minutes.” josh left without giving tyler a chance to reply.

almost ten minutes later josh returned. he landed heavily back in the booth, panting and sweaty.

“impromptu run?” tyler asked sarcastically. he wasn’t completely happy at being left alone after making a fool of himself. josh simply laughed.

“no, i got you this,” josh held up a t-shirt. tyler looked at it sceptically. he could see the fabric was a light pink. when josh unfolded it he stifled a laugh, reaching out to take it. he took his own wet shirt off and replaced it swiftly.

the word ‘florida’ was encased by a large love heart made of shells. there was the ocean, palm trees and the sun all depicted inside it in bright colours. it was terribly cringe-worthy. it’s something tyler would _never_ wear.

josh grinned at it, crinkly-eyed and dimpled, and tyler swore to himself that he would wear it for the rest of the day.

they collected their laundry in matching pink t-shirts before making their way back to the hotel. they went out for lunch in matching pink t-shirts and walked hand-in-hand through a park in them too. and finally, at night, they cuddled up on the beach under a blanket in their matching pink t-shirts. they brought a basket of food with them, mainly consisting of their favourite candy, and called it ‘dinner.’ tyler thought he’d never experienced something so romantic.

“these reese’s are starting to taste like sand,” josh poked his tongue out and pulled a face. tyler giggled.

“i’m going to miss the sand,” he sighed, snuggling further back into josh’s chest.

“me too. not as much as i’ll miss you, though,” josh whispered into his hair. tyler turned slightly to face josh.

“that was so cheesy,” tyler smiled and josh sent one half-heartedly back. tyler continued, “it won’t end when we leave, you know? we’ll make this work. i promise.”

josh exhaled shakily before catching tyler’s lips in a soft kiss. tyler sighed, parting his lips and deepening the kiss. after a while josh pulled back to look at tyler.

“i think, i’m in l-“ tyler’s fingers pressed onto his swollen lips, cutting him off.

“don’t say it. you don’t need to say it,” tyler insisted.

josh, the dream boy from his dream holiday, had given him a happiness he’d never felt before. he didn’t want josh to also give him his heart, his everything, afraid of what he would do with it. he’d been scared of feeling this way for anyone forever, let alone someone feeling it for him in return. he wouldn’t let josh say it yet, let it become so real. he pulled josh up, the blanket slipping from his shoulders and onto the sand.

he kissed him passionately, trying to convey his emotions without having to say them.

“there’s something i want to do with you,” he said, voice low and suggestive. josh followed him from the the beach eagerly.


	7. chapter seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for all the hits & kudos & stuff!! it really means a lot to me <3 also this chapter is high key sinful

josh dumped the sandy blanket and basket by the door before tyler approached him and flung his arms around his neck to pull him into a kiss. josh cupped tyler’s jaw and pressed back hungrily as they stumbled towards the bed. once josh had laid down he asked what had been bugging him since they left the beach.

“what do you want to do?”

tyler looked slightly nervous, shifting to straddle josh’s hips and fiddle with the hem of the older boy’s shirt.

“do you want to make a sex tape?” he rushed out, avoiding josh’s stare.

“a what?” josh asked, shocked.

“a sex tape,” tyler repeated, “except not like, kim kardashian’s or whatever. just for us. i don’t know how long it’s gonna be until we see each other again once we leave.”

josh looked sad at that, but perked up when he thought about the idea.

“sounds great,” he nodded. tyler snapped his eyes to josh’s. he was surprised at how easy it was to convince him. then again, they were on the same level about most things. he hopped off josh’s legs to retrieve his laptop and set it up on a nightstand that he moved out, so that the camera would cover the whole length of the bed. he turned the camera on and moved back to the bed.

he almost moaned at the sight that greeted him. in the time tyler was distracted josh had stripped to just his boxers and was palming himself through the cotton with one hand, the other tracing around his nipple. he looked at tyler through hooded eyes.

“you desperate for me baby?” tyler asked as he resumed his position on top of the older boy. josh whined as his hips stuttered forwards. tyler wrapped a hand around his cock, the camera already forgotten from where it sat just metres away.

“oh,” josh gasped, arching into the touch. he spread his knees further, trying to pull tyler in as far as he could.

“you look so beautiful, all spread out for me. can’t wait to be inside you,” tyler said, voice low and rough. he carefully stroked josh, the movement wet from the precome that spilled from his cock. josh moaned, head thrown back. tyler kissed down josh’s torso, leaving red marks along the tanned, muscled skin. josh squirmed above him, panting heavily. tyler mouthed around his aching erection, never quite touching the heated skin. he moved lower, ushering josh’s hips up as he slipped a pillow beneath them. he pushed the drummer’s legs apart to expose his hole and kissed up his inner thighs teasingly.

“fuck, tyler please,” josh choked, moving a hand to wrap in tyler’s hair.

“wanna eat you out,” tyler responded. josh moaned loudly and wiggled his hips down towards tyler’s mouth. tyler took the invitation.

josh keened at the first lap of tyler’s tongue along his hole. the singer was forced to hold josh down onto the mattress to stop him from flailing. he kept a firm grip on josh’s hips as he dipped his tongue into his entrance, thrusting inside the tight heat slowly.

“tyler,” josh panted, the hand in his hair twisting the brown strands. tyler kept thrusting, alternating between quick prods and licking broad stripes over his hole. when josh’s legs started to shake around his head and under his hands he pulled away, wiping the drool off his chin.

“do you want me to fuck you now?” tyler asked teasingly, stroking a finger over josh’s wet rim. josh whined again, nodding frantically. “tell me how much you want it. use your words, baby.”

“fuck tyler, please,” josh pleaded. “i need something, anything just _please,_ fuck me.”

“okay, okay, you’ve been so good josh,” tyler soothed. he quickly shrugged off his clothes and squirted lube onto his fingers. josh moved to roll over but tyler stopped him.

“stay on your back, wanna see your pretty face,” tyler said easily as he tugged josh back. he rubbed a slick finger over josh’s entrance before pushing it in, finding little resistance.

“ohh, more,” josh groaned, pushing back on tyler’s finger greedily. tyler quickly added a second, scissoring them to spread josh out. the older boy was a mess underneath tyler. his red curls were matted with sweat and stuck to his forehead, and his eyes glittered with unshed tears as he thrust down on tyler desperately. tyler had never seen josh so needy.

“shh, it’s okay,” tyler whispered, kissing josh’s open lips gently. “you’re so gorgeous, my perfect boy.” he said the words softly into josh’s lips. the tears that had formed in josh’s eyes began to slip past his closed eyelids. tyler removed his fingers from josh’s ass and rolled a condom on. he pressed in carefully, elbows resting on either side of josh’s head, their bodies plastered together. the position was incredibly intimate, and a moment they each would hold onto dearly.

tyler kissed the salty tears at the corner of josh’s eyes until he bottomed out. he exhaled harshly at the sensation and josh wrapped his legs around tyler’s waist. tyler moved his hips in small figure eights until josh was ready for him to move. soon enough, the drummer’s eyes opened and he gave tyler a small smile.

“so beautiful,” tyler murmured, pulling out of josh before sliding back in. josh mewled, hands scratching down tyler’s back.

“ty, harder,” he panted. the brunette pulled almost fully out of josh before slamming back in, causing the older boy to cry out. tyler leaned back from his elbows and took hold of josh’s hips again, using the leverage to push into him harder.

“nobody else can do this can they josh? you’re all mine,” tyler growled possessively, thrusting so hard that josh slid up the mattress and the headboard bounced into the wall.

“all yours,” josh cried, hands fisting in the sheets. tyler captured his lips in a messy kiss, all tongue and teeth. he fisted josh’s cock in one hand as he fucked him forcefully, determined to convince josh that he was all tyler’s, and tyler was all his.

“come for me j,” tyler demanded, stroking josh erratically. josh wailed, head thrown back as he came all over his stomach. tyler followed quickly, releasing into the condom with a shout of josh’s name before slumping over his spent form. he pulled out carefully and removed the condom. after throwing it somewhat near the bin he took josh into his arms.

“wow,” josh mumbled into tyler’s chest. tyler stroked the hair out of his eyes and pressed his lips to josh’s gently, full of affection. the two snuggled together closely, relishing in each other’s presence for one of the last times. the laptop, with it’s camera still recording, lay forgotten. 


	8. chapter eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo! i go back to school tomorrow (fuck) so the updates probs won't be as frequent later on. i have the next few written out though, which is good! hope you enjoy :) also sry about it being a bit short

it was the first time tyler had seen rain for months, and it was hard and heavy as it fell from the sky. dark clouds covered the usually crystal blue sky, casting a gloomy shadow over tyler wherever he went.

he sat by himself on the hotel bed, suitcase half-packed. he held the ‘florida’ t-shirt that josh bought him in his hand, avoiding putting it away. tyler knew that when they left it wouldn’t be over between them, but he knew it would be different. the bubble of sunshine and relaxation that surrounded them was about to burst, whether he was ready for it or not.

tyler sighed and placed the folded shirt carefully in his suitcase. josh had gone on one of his early morning runs despite the rain. he’d kept up that routine almost the whole time he’d stayed with tyler. their flights left around midday, one hour apart. tyler’s was first.

last night, tyler had edited the video they made (mainly chopping off the last half an hour where they fell asleep) and transferred it to each of their phones. josh had blushed at the sight of himself spread out and hastily locked his phone. they made love, softly and slowly, trying to memorise all the details of each other’s bodies.

he heard the door to the room shut, and the soft footsteps of josh as he entered. he rose from the bed to greet him, and found that he was completely drenched from the rain. he was also shivering slightly, despite the warm temperature outside. without a word, tyler led him to the shower, before hopping in beside him.

when the taxi pulled up to the airport, they paid and exited silently. they’d barely talked all day, too afraid of admitting what was happening. hand-in-hand they checked in and made their way to tyler’s gate. his plane was scheduled to leave in only half an hour.

as time passed, they still said nothing, simply clutching at each other in the uncomfortable airport seats. eventually the flight started boarding, yet the two boys didn’t move. as the line dwindled and it became obvious that tyler needed to join it he stood up, breaking free of josh’s grip. josh followed, and they stared at each other for a moment before josh burst into tears.

tyler surged forward to wrap his arms around the older boy. he rubbed between his shoulder blades and buried his head in josh’s neck, his own hot tears falling onto josh’s skin. josh squeezed his arms around tyler’s middle. for a moment they stood wrapped in each other and crying softly, before josh spoke up.

“i know you didn’t want me to say it,” he exhaled shakily, leaning back to look at tyler. he had wet tracks down his face, and his eyes were tired and red-rimmed. tyler thought he looked beautiful.

“but i’m in love with you tyler.”

tyler inhaled sharply. a grin broke out through his tears. he pulled josh into a kiss that tasted too much of salt, and wasn’t great anyway due to his smile. he couldn’t help it.

“i love you too, josh. so much,” he whispered as he placed his forehead against josh’s own. they breathed in each other’s air before the final boarding call ruined their moment. tyler pulled away to pick up his backpack.

“this won’t change anything, right?” josh asked, voice anxious. tyler gripped his hand as he walked towards the boarding line.

“never. i’ll call you as soon as i can,” tyler replied. he pulled josh in for another sweet kiss. “i love you,” he murmured, before turning and handing the attendant his ticket.

josh watched as he left and climbed the stairs to the plane. he tried desperately to cling onto the hope that everything would be fine, that tyler _loved_ him. but, he had a sinking feeling when he watched through blurry eyes as tyler disappeared into the plane, that it might be forever.


	9. chapter nine

“here she is again, the lucky lady!” 

tyler rolled his eyes at the shout from chris as he picked up his vibrating phone to answer it. he hastily left the recording studio to step outside.

“hey babe,” tyler greeted as he squinted through the harsh la sunlight.

“hi ty,” josh’s voice echoed through the phone speaker. tyler could feel the warm smile that the older boy usually adorned through his voice, which was soft and smooth. he’d missed it.

“how are you?” he asked as he settled to sit against the wall of the building.

“‘m okay. you?” tyler noted that josh sounded a bit flat, his usual vibrancy distant.  
  
“i’m good. just been recording with the band,” he replied. josh hummed in reply. “is anything wrong?” tyler asked, concerned. there was a moment of silence before josh said quietly:

“i miss you.”

tyler sighed. these words had been said more and more often as the time since their tearful goodbye increased.

“i miss you too, sunshine boy,” he replied. he’d taken to calling josh that, and the drummer admitted once that he liked it. he continued, “i have something to show you tonight and i promise it’ll make you feel better.”

“really?” josh responded, seeming to have perked up slightly.

“yeah,” tyler replied, “but i have to get back to the band now. i’ll skype you at 8. i love you.”

he heard josh’s faint ‘love you too’ as he ended the call. nick looked up as he re-entered the studio.

“when are you going to tell us who she is?” he asked teasingly. tyler ignored the question, opting to fiddle with a recent recording instead.

later that day tyler shuffled some pillows behind his back as the skype ringtone sounded in his earbuds. josh answered quickly. a smile spread slowly on his face through the grainy screen, but it made tyler’s heart flutter all the same. before he could say anything josh began talking.

“c’mon ty tell me what it is, i’ve been waiting _all_ day,” he whined, clearly excited for tyler’s surprise.

tyler picked up his ukulele. josh’s eyes followed his movements intently.

“i was gonna give you some speech, but i think the song speaks for itself,” tyler said, glancing at josh before beginning to strum.

josh’s eyes widened as he recognised the tune. he’d heard it once before, on a day that he and tyler had spent curled up at the hotel. this time though, tyler didn’t hide the lyrics from him.

when tyler began to sing he faintly registered that this was the first time josh had heard him sing properly, not just when he was lulling them to sleep after a day on the beach. josh was still, taking in tyler’s words.

when he came to the chorus, tyler didn’t hear his bandmates approach, or see them as they listened through the slightly open door.

_“i used to say i wanna die before i’m old, but because of you i might think twice,"_ tyler sang sweetly, trying hard not to smile.

josh, on the other side of the screen, had gone into full crinkly-eyed happy mode as he listened to tyler’s lyrics and melodic voice. he could listen to tyler sing forever, he thought. especially songs about _him._

the song came to an abrupt finish with tyler strumming quickly on the ukulele. he set it down and looked to josh for a reaction. the drummer opened and closed his mouth a couple times, struggling to find words.

“well…” tyler trailed off.

“it’s incredible. your _voice_ tyler, oh my god,” josh exclaimed, shaking his head. he couldn’t believe how lucky he was.

“it’s the one i wrote on holiday,” tyler admitted softly. josh’s eyes drifted away from tyler, as he seemed to get lost in his thoughts. or his memories. he sighed.

“i just want to see you again,” he said quietly, sniffing slightly.

“hey, it’s okay,” tyler reassured. “we’ll see each other as soon as we can. i’m touring for a couple of months but i’ll be back in columbus in december. we can make it until then.”

“you really think so?” josh asked uncertainly.

“i really do. i love you,” he replied, trying to ignore the ache in his chest at josh’s hesitancy.

“i love you too, tyler.”

chris and nick quietly slipped away from the door. they were hoping to figure out who the person tyler was infatuated with was, but couldn’t even get her name. they were incredibly interested in the song tyler sung the mystery person, however, and noted that they’d have to ask him about it later.

“…so tyler, are we gonna hear that song you wrote on holiday?” chris asked a few days later. the three of them were back in the cheap studio they rented in la.

“what song?” he replied distractedly. he was working on a different song currently, trying to solidify some new lyrics.

“the one for your girlfriend,” nick added. tyler looked up at this.

“why are you guys so obsessed with who i’m seeing?” he asked, irritated.

ignoring tyler’s response chris said, “we overheard you singing her a song before, and it sounded amazing. are you planning on putting it on the album? you should be.”

tyler was silent, considering the question. he never thought he’d release a song about another person, but the thought of belting out his love for josh on a stage in front of a crowd of people made his heart swell.

“alright,” he replied simply. chris and nick looked shocked at the ease at which tyler agreed.

they quickly got to work on recording tyler’s latest song, flashes of bright red hair and sunny smiles flitting through the singer’s head as he strummed the opening chords.


	10. chapter ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1000 hits!!! wtf i love you all so much

the screams from the crowd filled tyler with adrenaline as he jumped from one end of the small stage to the other.

twenty one pilots were well into their tour, and this show marked the first one for october. they’d finished up in the studio three weeks ago and were now performing some of the new songs they’d made.

as tyler strummed the first chords to ‘we don’t believe what’s on tv,’ the crowd went wild. from the first time they’d played the song it had gained incredible popularity and was clearly a crowd favourite.

tyler faltered slightly at the cheers, trying not to get distracted by the person behind the song. the truth was, he didn’t think he deserved to still sing it. he and josh had barely talked in weeks due to tyler’s busy schedule. he missed the older boy, and the worst part of it was the _guilt._  
  
he’d promised josh that they wouldn’t drift apart, but here he was, trying to swallow a lump in his throat while singing in front of a hundred people. he had known that it would be different when he was on the road, but he never expected it to be so difficult. in the beginning he went a few days without calling josh, and then he procrastinated dealing with the situation, until it had spiralled into his current one. the one where he hadn’t heard from josh in nearly two weeks.

after the show chris came up to tyler and slapped a hand on his shoulder, asking “are you okay man?” the singer shrugged off his bandmate’s hand and kept heading towards the mini van, leaving the drummer standing confused behind him.

tyler was lost. he couldn’t keep living with the guilt, and performing the song he wrote for the boy he loved when he wasn’t even talking to him. he checked his phone for any sign of josh and found nothing, as per usual these days. the constant reminder every night of the growing distance between them was becoming too much. he thought maybe if he finally talked to josh he would feel better.

josh picked up on the third ring.

“hello?” he sounded tired.

“hey josh, it’s me,” tyler walked away from the carpark, not even registering that he’d left chris and nick to pack up on their own.

“oh. hey,” josh replied. tyler could hear him shifting around.

“uh, i just wanted to see how you were going, i guess?” tyler said, unsure. the usual easiness that tyler had felt ever since he met the red-haired boy had completely disappeared. instead, he felt awkward.

“right now? tyler it’s midnight.” josh sounded pissed now, which made tyler feel even worse. and kind of annoyed himself, didn’t josh care about him at all anymore?

“well yeah, i have some spare time.”

“finally,” josh scoffed.

“what’s that supposed to mean?” tyler asked, offended.

“look, tyler-“ josh paused, “you can’t just ignore me for weeks and then expect me to cry with happiness at the first sound of your voice.”

“i haven’t been ignoring you!” tyler almost shouted. josh’s words had confirmed what he’d been fearing.

“i don’t want to argue with you.” josh sounded exhausted now.

“i know, i’m sorry. i’ll try harder. i won’t give up on you josh. on us,” he promised, choking up slightly.

“are you alright?” josh asked him, voice calmer than before.

“yeah, i just feel terrible for making you feel like i’m ignoring you.”

“it’s okay tyler, i understand. we’ll just keep trying, yeah?”

“yeah.” he replied weakly. they were silent for a while, just the sounds of their breathing echoing over the line. tyler’s was slightly more rapid.

“i better go,” josh said softly. tyler wiped a stray tear from under his eye, uttered a goodbye and hung up.

upon his return to the van he found nick securing the piano in the back.

“thanks for the help,” he muttered sarcastically. like usual, tyler chose to ignore his remark.

he opened the passenger door and fished around in the glovebox until he found what he was looking for. their original set list for the show was written on a piece of note paper and shoved inside a plastic cover. tyler pulled the paper out and grabbed a pen.

he scrawled on the paper, until he could no longer make out the letters ’tv’ underneath the black ink. 


	11. chapter eleven

josh checked his appearance in the mirror for the thousandth time before pulling out his phone to check the time. he was dressed in all black, a hoodie with a skeleton print pulled on over his t-shirt.

he was going to a party. a halloween party to be exact.

halloween wasn’t actually for almost a week, but it was a friday night and one of josh’s co-workers from the record store had asked if he wanted to come. so, he dug out his old ‘costume’ and set out at 7pm.

truthfully, josh was feeling a bit nervous about it all. he barely knew these people, and he felt anxious around groups of people he already _did_  know. however, he was trying to take his mind off how lonely he was, and a certain someone who was the main reason he felt that way. tapping his fingers restlessly on the steering wheel, josh sat out the front of the house for a while and debated whether or not to go inside. eventually he found the strength to get out and approach the house.  
  
“josh! come in dude,” josh’s co-worker, dan, ushered him inside. many people were already in the house. he passed josh a red cup filled with…something, and left him with a smile. josh sniffed the cup before deciding to set it down on a nearby table. he wasn’t a big drinker, and he wanted to drive home later.

unsure of himself, josh wandered through the house for a while, looking for anyone he knew and could talk to. he felt like everyone was watching him, judging him. he stepped through an open door and into the backyard of the place to escape the stares (even if he was imagining them). he found a bench and sat down heavily.

the flowers behind him caught his attention, and after a moment he realised why. they were roses, red and yellow ones, just like the bouquet he gave tyler on their first date. they weren’t as bright as the ones he remembered, their petals curling in and brown at the edges. josh sighed, swallowing as he stared at the small flowers.

he picked a yellow one carefully, and twirled it between his fingers as he thought back to the summer. it felt like a lot more than a couple months ago, tyler’s touch just a faint memory to his skin. he knew that tyler had promised him they’d be okay, and he knew that tyler loved him, but it didn’t seem to be working out. josh was tired of waking up and going to sleep alone, of not being able to actually _talk_  and spend time with the younger boy.

the longer they spent apart, the longer josh lost hope in what they had. he still loved tyler too, but the long-distance relationship was so hard. he’d almost given up.

the sound of heels against the hard ground brought his attention back to his surroundings. a girl was approaching him. she was short, and dressed as a cat, small ears peeking out of her soft brown curls. she sat down on the bench and smiled warmly at him.

“hi! my name’s maddie,” she introduced. josh met her green eyes with his own, still twirling the rose in his hand.

“hey, i’m josh,” he replied. he had to admit that she was very attractive, and she was the first person to bother to get to know him all night.

“what’s got a boy like you sitting out here all on his own?” she teased. josh liked the way she talked, a carefree and fun attitude emanating from her.

“nothing important,” josh replied, attempting a smile. he dropped the rose, a couple of petals falling off at the impact. maddie watched the flower for a moment before looking back at josh.

“well josh, it’s nice to meet you. where’re you from?” she asked, turning to face him fully. from then on their conversation flowed, but so did the alcohol that maddie was drinking. she retained her bubbly personality, but also became very loud and excitable on top of it, making josh slightly uncomfortable. after a while she grasped his hand and pulled him back inside. they ended up in a room full of people dancing to music with a heavy bass. several couples were grinding on each other, or shoving their tongues down each others throats. josh tried hard to ignore how much he wished tyler was there so they could join in.

suddenly maddie tugged his arms around her curvy waist as she began to dance to the music. she swayed her hips and wrapped her own arms around his neck. before josh could say anything to brush her off, she lunged forward and messily connected their lips. taking advantage of his shock, maddie thrust her tongue into josh’s mouth, and held him in with her arms wound tightly around his neck. josh panicked, muscles stiffening. it felt so wrong, he didn’t want this at all. he jerked back to look at her face, inches from his own.

“no,” he said loudly, trying to be heard over the music. he shook his head to make his point clear. maddie’s features twisted, and turned from confusion to disgust.

“you talked to me for that long for nothing? what are you, gay or something?” she barked out a laugh. a few people turned to look at them, and josh felt his breathing increase quickly. he tore himself from her grip and made a hasty exit, not looking up until he made it out the front door and to his car. he sat in the driver’s seat panting, trying to catch his breath. he felt so terrible, why couldn’t he have just kissed her back? he deserved for this to happen, he thought, and tears began to spill as he gasped for breath. his chest ached from the lack of oxygen. he didn’t know what to do.

he caught sight of his phone and reached for it quickly. if tyler cared for him he would answer, right? this was the time when josh needed him the most. sniffing, he dialled tyler’s number with shaking hands.

it rang once, twice, three times, four…and then tyler’s message tone resounded in his ear. he tried again. nothing.

josh sat in his car and sobbed, clutching the phone so hard he was afraid it might snap. he’d never felt more alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor joshie. i promise it'll get better for him.. but not yet


	12. chapter twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y’all i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again i have no concept of american geography most of the time i’ll just poke my screen and write down the city it lands on

“what do you guys think of wearing masks on stage?”

the three bandmates were sitting in their van, taking a small break from their long drive to the next city.

“masks?” nick laughed.

“that sounds weird, tyler,” chris added, taking a bite of his sandwich.

tyler frowned. he was sick of never being able to put any ideas forward without being ridiculed by his bandmates.   
  
“i don’t just come up with this stuff out of nowhere. it would have a purpose. see, it-“ tyler doesn’t get to finish as he’s interrupted by nick.

“forget it man, what band have you ever seen that wears _masks_?”

_that’s the point,_ he thought bitterly. he decided to give up on the idea.

“yeah let’s leave that shit for halloween,” chris snorted, not seeing tyler’s scowl. “that reminds me, my friend in kansas is having a halloween party tonight. we should go.”

tyler didn’t do parties very often. he didn’t like being around heaps of people, especially drunk people. but, he felt like it might be a good chance to distract him from the guilt and loneliness that’d been plaguing him for a while. he agreed, and reached over to snatch the keys from chris.

“i’m driving.”

that night the three of them rolled up to chris’ friends house, feeling freshened up after actually booking a hotel with functioning hot water for the first time in a solid week. when they entered they were met with several people in varying costumes, all keen to get wild on a friday night.

tyler followed his two friends and talked to whoever they were for awhile, not willing to break apart and do it alone. suddenly he spotted a girl sitting by herself through the window, and left his bandmates to go outside. he didn’t really know why he wanted to talk to her, but the last time he’d had this feeling he’d met josh. avoiding all thoughts of his summer love, tyler sat down next to the girl. she was thin, with long legs and beautiful blonde hair. when she looked up at him it took his breath away. her eyes were blue, but they were piercing, and a colour that he wanted to get lost in.

“hey, how’s it going?” tyler asked her, smiling. she smiled back.

“not great, but it might get better now,” she said playfully.

“i’m tyler,” he greeted, offering her a hand. she grasped it softly, her hand warm and soft.

“jenna,” she introduced. “so tyler, i’ve never seen you around here before. what’s your deal?” she asked, and from then on they talked for hours. tyler found that jenna was hilarious and sweet, a gentle kindness seeping through her conversation. she seemed perfect.

they found themselves inside, dancing and laughing to the music. at the break between one song and the next tyler found himself pressed close to the gorgeous girl, their faces only inches from each other. their eyes met, sparkling blue and deep brown. tyler leant in, thinking only of jenna, and pressed their lips together. she responded, pressing closer and wrapping her arms around his neck.

her lips were so soft, and the kiss felt nice, but tyler couldn’t help but feel something was missing. when they parted she giggled, and the sound felt like music to tyler’s ears. a sudden vibration in his pocket caused tyler to pull his phone out.

the screen had turned to a picture of the sunrise from florida, and the name ‘spooky’ was displayed along the top. tyler’s stomach clenched, and he ignored the call. he pocketed his phone and tensed as it rang again, but tried to focus his attention on the girl in front of him, rather than the boy miles away. jenna grabbed his wrist with one hand and grinned at him.

“this may sound sudden, but can i tag along on your tour?”

tyler didn’t even have to think about it. he nodded his head excitedly in agreement. 


	13. chapter thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!! AND IM SEEING TYLER AND JOSH TOMORROW!!! (and i haven't got any more written chapters of this so it might be a while for an update heh)

november meant colder weather, early christmas sales, and the complete absence of tyler from josh’s life.

after the unsuccessful halloween party josh attended he had heard absolutely nothing from the singer. he let it go for the first few days, but grew curious and searched for something, anything, on twitter. tyler’s band had a fair few fans on the website, and josh had followed them sometimes when he missed the younger boy. what he found left him feeling empty.

tyler had found a girlfriend (he guessed) somewhere, and there were several photos of them together at the shows. josh had choked up at one of tyler grinning, an arm wrapped around her waist, as he talked to a fan. he didn’t understand what he’d done wrong, why tyler had thrown him aside without a second glance. it crushed his confidence, and most nights josh found himself alone at home, drowning his sadness in binge-watching shows on netflix.

when it came to december and josh realised it was tyler’s birthday, a day that he thought would mean they’d be seeing each other again, he broke. he’d tried for weeks to ignore the pain caused by tyler abandoning him, but it all became too much. after his shift josh decided that he needed to do something drastic to distract him, and going out and getting blindingly drunk appealed to him the most. if he couldn’t remember his own name, there was no way he’d be thinking of tyler’s.

by 10pm that night, josh found himself sitting at a bar getting sufficiently drunk. he’d lost count of how many drinks he’d bought, and the one he was currently nursing was from someone across the bar. he looked older than josh, with dark curls and hungry eyes. he looked over to josh interestedly before finally sauntering over and leaning against the bar next to the drummer’s seat. said drummer wasn’t very interested in entertaining company, but when the guy bit his lip and stared at josh’s own lips he thought he could be the perfect distraction. he quickly downed the rest of his drink and looked up at the man.

“hey.”

“name’s adam. wanna dance?” the guy asked, smirking. josh nodded and stood up, wobbled slightly, then followed him to the dance floor. he was pulled close to the other man’s body, and they began to sway together to the beat. their lips met messily and the taller man licked his way into josh’s mouth. through josh’s hazy mind something screamed at him that this was wrong, that he shouldn’t be kissing someone else.

but who should he be kissing?

tyler.

josh pulled away and frowned, fumbling for his phone in his jean pocket. adam stared at him, confused.

“i’m gonna call him,” josh slurred.

“who?” adam asked him, shouting over the music.

“my-“ josh hesitated. it was too confusing to explain, so he opted for trying to unlock his phone instead. adam took it from him gently and regained josh’s attention.

“whoever he is, he can’t be that important. he’s not here right now is he?”

josh blinked. to his alcohol addled mind this made perfect sense, so he shrugged and let it go. he wrapped his arms around adam once again before an idea came to him.

“wanna do shots?” he asked excitedly, already dragging the dark-haired man back to the bar.

the night only got worse from there. josh gradually became incoherent, barely able to hold himself up. adam quickly became tired of trying to deal with the drummer and left to find someone else to flirt with.

neither of them realised that he still had josh’s phone.

by the end of the night the bartender called josh a taxi and pushed him inside. with some struggle he got the boy’s address from him as he flopped on the backseat, suddenly tired. as soon as josh got home he passed out on the couch.

when he woke up the next morning with a splitting headache and only a vague recollection of what had happened the night before he groaned, before dragging himself to the bathroom.

a few hours later josh went to pull out his phone to check his messages, but realised he didn’t have it. he searched for it for ages, pulling apart the couch and the rest of his house. his anxiety suddenly kicked in as he remembered some of the stuff that was on his phone, and what could happen to it if it fell into the wrong hands.

he breathed heavily and quickly grabbed his keys, leaving to go to the bar to see if his phone was still there. he prayed that it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun dun ..sorry i had to


End file.
